Rak'gol
The Rak'gol are a primitive race of aliens hailing from the Koronus Expanse. Very little is known about this strange mix of insectoid and reptilian cyborgs, leading to the Imperium of Man dismissing them as a myth: interestingly, before the species was discovered, the name Rak'gol was used to frighten children, similar to tales of the Bogeyman. From what little has been learnt about them, the Rak'gol are a species of aliens that like to scavenge from other races. Any hostages they might take are either killed, tortured to death or sent to unknown areas that make the Dark Eldar's hidden city of Commoragh look like a paradise. Any attempts to negotiate with them usually end with negotiators being ripped apart. The only time the Imperium actually manages to find themselves a specimen to study, it's a corpse, and the results are often at best inconclusive. Being described as reptilian with some insectoid features, they are infamous for their cybernetics, changing their already deadly natural bodies into even more deadly forms. Fortunately for the Imperium, the Rak'gol are easily identified by their apparent ramshackle designs of their starships as well as being the only race who's technology is worse than the Orks. Although their technology is relatively primitive, they make up for this with brutal simplicity of design. The Imperium considers them to be less intelligent than Orks, probably because they seem to lack any sort of language, communicating only in roars and grunts. Anatomy The Rak'gol are often described as having the odd combination of both reptilian and insectoid features, their most notable features include having eight limbs, very tough reptile-like scales, a mouth filled with teeth, a long prehensile tail ending with a barbed end, and laying eggs of a size considered impossible by real-world standards. The Rak'gol are incredibly strong and tough as nails, able to survive in the nuclear leakage of their own ships as well as shrug off multiple Autogun shots like one might shrug off bee stings. Furthermore, their brains are noted to be fairly primitive when compared to Humans, yet more advanced then Orks, though not nearly as smart or creative as the Greenskins. There are currently no documented cases of a female in the species. Castes The Rak'Gol have a clear and specific rank, which is surprising given their apparently bestial nature. *'Rak'gol Carvers': Completely naked and terrifyingly vicious, Carvers are only allowed to be gifted with cybernetics if they survive their first raid, and prove to their superiors that they can fight. They're usually armed with basic stubbers or autoguns, but if they lose them, they can still use their claws, teeth and tails to rip an average human apart. *'Rak'gol Marauders': These guys are the most common and easily noticeable Rak'gol during their raids. They're upgraded Carvers, with all of them possessing a cybernetic feature of some kind. They typically carry Razor Guns or Howler Rifles, but very rarely carry Rad-beam Cannons instead. *'Rak'gol Broodmasters': The captains and leaders of the Rak'gol, Broodmasters are covered in cybernetics, to the point where you could confuse them for a robot. They often tell their inferiors where to hunt and which places boast great opportunities for raiding parties. *'Rak'gol Abominations': As their name suggests, these are some of the highest-taking most hideous members of the species. Abominations fuse their Cybernetics with Yu'vath technology, making them incredibly dangerous and powerful. *'Techno-Shamans': Techno-Shamans are powerful warriors, infusing the powers of captured human psykers into their own cybernetics to make themselves more powerful. Technology The technology of the Rak'gol is extremely ramshackle, primitive, and of poor quality, a fact that makes Ork designs look surprisingly ingenious. Their ships are among the few still using nuclear fission reactors in the 41st millennium, as compared to the Imperium's plasma fusion generators. Not only that, but their reactors regularly leak such massive amounts of radiation that any normal human would be killed almost instantly. This has led the Imperium to wonder just how durable they are. The Rak'gol also tend to steal and use technology from other races, including the Imperium. On at least one occasion, a Xenobiologist of the Adeptus Mechanicus misidentified them, because they had stolen so much. After every raid, surviving Rak'gol are implanted with cybernetics, both to improve their bodies and as a sign of status. Most of these are your typical, cliché implants, like robotic arms or legs, but higher-status Rak'gol are gifted with powerful rad-weapons or power claws. Despite the primitive look of these implants, they are highly effective. Weapons It should be noted that most of the time, Rak'gol weapons are stolen Imperium stubbers and autoguns. However there are a few weapons considered original to the Rak'gol, all of which are shown below: Rak'gol Razor Gun: Similar to what would happen if an Ork were to take and "Orkify" an Eldar monofilament weapon, they are usually modified autoguns that fire barbed wire in a bullet shape. Howler Rifle: Triple-barrelled machine guns, Howler Rifles are noted to vomit out so many bullets that the gouts of flame from the end of the barrels could be re-purposed as a flamethrower. Rad-beam Cannon: These are essentially masers that shoot out beams of nuclear radiation that voraciously breaks down armour and materials. Rak'gol Rad Axe: These are power axes that emit and contaminate the atmosphere with nuclear radiation. '''Rak'gol Intimidator: '''Nobody knows what these look like. Not even the Adeptus Mechanicum knows what Intimidators are meant to be, other then their use as "Torture Devices" to any unlucky enough to be captured by the Rak'Gol. Category:Aliens Category:Reptiles Category:Insects Category:Carnivore Category:Medium Category:Ground Category:Literature